GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK. Keith Olbermann's Special Comments offer a fascinating echo of Edward R. Murrow's eloquent news reports. At the same time, Olbermann's passionate voice is something that has long been missing on the liberal or progressive side of the political media. He talks unabashedly about values, many of them clearly progressive ones, in a climate where the term "values" is still used as shorthand for conservative sexual morals. Whether Olbermann's approach will remain the sole lefty media exception in the general political debate about values remains to be seen and probably will depend on the ratings he receives. I find him a refreshing and useful counterpoint not only to the conservatives who have kidnapped the idea of values altogether but also to the liberal/progressive tradition of focusing on policy questions rather than the values that drive certain policies. -- J. Goodrich
